Love for One, Love for All
by Shirley Ann Burton
Summary: When Angie thinks she's a hindrance to her friends, a younger magician wants desperately to join Ace Cooper. Please R & R.
1. Part 1

Love for One, Love for All   
By: Shirley Ann Burton   
Part 1

In the middle of the night, within the confines of the Magic Express, someone was having major sleeping problems. A young woman was having a bad dream and tossed and turned in her bed.   
_ Within her mind, she was running away from three people and a black panther. Continuing to stay ahead of her pursuers, she kept saying, "I'm sorry" over and over again._   
_ When she was cornered in a dead-end alley, she turned to face the chasers. "What's going on here? Why is this happening to me?"_   
_ When the chasers came out of the shadows, a woman with green eyes and red hair yelled, "I haven't been able to spend as much time with Ace because of you! You've suddenly become more important than me!"_   
_ "That's not all, sister!" shouted an angry teenage boy with red hair and blue eyes. "I can't become a magician as long as you're around! You think you're so special, but I've been with Ace a lot longer than you ever will! It's like I became second fiddle!"_   
_ The young woman shuddered with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."_   
_ The third person, a gentleman with blue eyes and jet-black hair with a white streak on the sides and back and a tuft on top of his head, came forward and angrily stated, "'Sorry' isn't good enough, Angie. I've lost valuable time with them because I have to train you, but that's going to end right here, right now!" He then turned to the panther. "Zina, **attack!**"_   
_ Zina was about to slash Angie when out of nowhere a male voice yelled, "Angie, wake up, now!"_   
She suddenly jolted out of bed and screamed. Breathing very heavily, she faced the man who had awakened her. "Ace?"   
With a worried look in his blue eyes, he tried to comfort his friend. "I saw everything in your nightmare. Why in heaven's name would I send Zina to attack you?"   
Able to breathe regularly again, she answered, "Ace, there's something I just have to know. Am I getting in your way?"   
"What!?" exclaimed a very surprised Magician. "Why would you think something like that?"   
"Think about it. Ever since I got here more than a year ago, you've put almost all your efforts into helping me master my magical powers. I know for a fact you haven't had a date with Mona for over three weeks. Also, I know Cosmo wants to be a magician, too. I wonder if I **_am_** interfering with you." She then started to cry.   
Ace felt the pain in her heart and gave her a comforting hug. "Angie, no. You're not interfering with us. You are the kindest, most gentle person I've ever known. You always put your efforts into helping other people, and I admire that in you. You have so much spirit, which has made Cosmo, Mona, and me much stronger. You're a little sister to all of us, and I don't want that to change."   
Just then, Cosmo and Zina came into the room.   
"Dude, what happened?"   
"Angie had a terrible nightmare about us being angry at her, and we were all chasing her."   
"Why would we be angry at you, Angie?"   
"I think I'm taking something away from all of you."   
With a shocked look on his face, Cosmo said, "Not on your life! I think you've given something to all of us. You're always helping out, making sure we're all okay. In all honesty, you've enriched us all with your presence, and you'll always be special not because of your magic but because of your kindness and love." He then sat to her left and held her hand. "I don't want you to leave here. You're too special to lose."   
"Thank you, Cosmo." She hugged him with tears of joy. "I just have to remember not to deal with anything by myself."   
"That's right," agreed Ace. "You're not alone, remember? We'll always be here for you, like you've been for us."   
"Thanks, guys." Angie cleaned her face of the tears she had spilled from her eyes. "I think I'll be all right now, but Ace, I want you to go on a lunch date with Mona tomorrow."   
"But, my show's tomorrow night—"   
"No buts, Ace. You need to spend some time with Mona, so talk to her in the morning and arrange to have lunch at the most posh restaurant in Lazaro City."   
"All right, Angie. If you really feel that way, I'll do it. Now, try to get some sleep."   
"Okay." She got back under the covers and said, "Good night." She then fell asleep.   
Ace whispered, "Good night, Angie."   
When the two gentlemen walked out of the room, Ace started to feel very worried. "Cosmo, have you come to notice something about Angie?"   
"What do ya mean, dude?"   
"She's been so helpful to us, but she never asks for anything in return or anything she really wants."   
"Come to think of it, you're right. I think the only thing she's ever received is my old mini-disc player I gave her when she first arrived here."   
Ace closed his eyes to concentrate on Angie's heart. "She feels she's obligated to help us without asking for anything in return. She's lived with that for her entire life, but she doesn't believe she deserves anything. Angie does think about others but almost never thinks about herself. I know she still believes her gift is a curse at times."   
"You think she'll be okay?"   
"I hope so, Cosmo. I really hope so." 

The next day, as everyone in the Express was awake, Ace and Mona agreed on a lunch date to the exquisite E-Z Sands Café. 

There, Ace hardly touched his meal, and Mona was quick to notice. "Ace, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Mona, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm very concerned about Angie."

"Really? How come?"

"Last night, she had a terrible dream." He then told Mona the details of the nightmare.

She was shocked at what she heard. "Oh, my God. Why would Angie have such a horrible nightmare? It seems all she's had are nightmares. I don't get it. She was **_not_** abused by her parents, she was raised in a good home--"

"But she was beaten up and picked on in school and had only her parents or Ashley to count on when she needed help. It doesn't make any sense. Angie is one of the most kindhearted individuals I've ever known. The only problem is, she's thinking of everyone else around her and **_not_** herself."

"That's odd. Why would Angie not think about herself? I mean, she's sharing the same home as the greatest magician in the world, and she has friends who care about her."

"Yes, but I've never heard her ask for anything in return for her kindness or whatever she really wants. It's almost as though she doesn't want to get anything because she's afraid of becoming greedy and irresponsible." Ace took her hand and said, "Listen, I hope you don't think I'm paying more attention to her than to you."

"Ace, I could never think that. Angie's like a little sister to me, too. She treats me as a friend, even though there's my father. I'm so grateful she does have a kind-spirited heart and sees me for me, not the fact I'm Black Jack's daughter. I would never be jealous of her in any way. Besides, you're the only person who can help her master her magical powers."

"She could've gotten someone else."

"No, Ace. She can trust **_you_** more than any other magician. Remember, from the moment she first saw you on TV, you gave her a reason to believe in herself. Angela Jacobs was given a chance to start her life anew because of you. She's no longer sad or isolated, and she knows she can count on us for love and support."

"You're right, but I wonder if she loves **_herself_**."

As they started to leave to return to the Express, a young woman of about sixteen years of age had overheard the conversation. She had blonde hair and hazel eyes and wore a stunning blue sweat suit. "Hmm," she started in a low tone, "I wonder if the Magician's got an opening in the future."

She then stood up and started walking behind them from a safe distance.

Back at the Magic Express, Angie went ahead and practiced in the training room, even though she and Cosmo were given the night off by Ace after working so hard for the last 3 ½ weeks. However, her practice was not going so well on this day.

She concentrated on lifting three 16-pound bowling balls into the air. With her arms extended forward and her hands stretched, the three balls lifted about two feet into the air.

However, she started hearing something in her mind. _"I've lost the time with them because of you!"_ she heard Ace say angrily. _"You don't belong here at all! Zina, **attack her now!**"_

**_ "NO!"_** Angie screamed as she held her head in confusion, which caused the three bowling balls to drop to the floor, causing a slight shaking in the Express. "I'm sorry," she said as tears started to come forth.

Cosmo and Zina heard the commotion and quickly ran to see what had happened.

"Angie," started a worried Cosmo, "are you okay?"

The younger magician fell to her knees and put her right hand to her face. "Cosmo, I can't . . . I can't seem to concentrate. What's wrong with me?"

He tried to comfort her as best he could. "I think I know what the problem is. You're letting that nightmare from last night continue to haunt you. If you let it get to you this easily, you'll never be able to do magic half as well as you want to."

"I just don't understand something. I mean, I know I have friends I can rely on for help, but there's a part of me that somehow doesn't want to believe it. Why?"

"Maybe because you had spent so much of your life being victimized by bullies that it's harder for you to open up. After all, you didn't use your powers to get even with them."

"Are you suggesting I **_should_** have done that?" she asked with a slightly raised tone of voice.

Cosmo stepped back. "No, of course not. That's not what I meant to say."

Angie sighed and put her face down in shame. "I'm sorry, Cosmo. I shouldn't have snapped at you. Maybe I'm really not used to being so open with everything, but what can I do? I'm so confused right now."

He hugged his friend. "It's okay. I understand, Angie. It took a while for me to do that when I first got here, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. When Ace took me in, I was a juvenile delinquent, always getting into trouble with the law. I kept stealing for the thrill of it, until Vega caught me. Instead of going to jail, though, Ace decided to accept me as his apprentice, mainly because he could see how good I was with electronics and technological devices, especially to help with his shows. It was then I could finally open up and tell him about my not-so-functional family life."   
"Yes, Ace did tell me your father is a cop, and sometimes they can go a little overboard in protecting their kids."   
"I know I'm happier here than at home. You realize you're staying with two former delinquents, right?"   
"Of course I do, silly. It's not the past that matters, though. It's the here-and-now that's more important. I may have been raised in a different manner than you and Ace, but I can call the Magic Express my home now. For that, I'll always be grateful. I just wish I knew why I can't focus on my magic right now."   
Cosmo decided to leave the room to give her a chance to think. _"I want to do something to help her, but what can I do? She has magical powers; I don't."_   
When he came into his workshop, he decided to turn on the local radio station.   
On the radio he heard, "Hey, this is Randy Rocker, here for your lunch hour requests. Call the station and ask if you want to hear a tune, or dedicate a tune to a friend. Even if you don't know what song you really want, call anyway, and we'll do our best to help out."   
Cosmo then activated the vid-phone and dialed up the radio station.   
"Hello, KLZO. Randy Rocker speaking. What can I do for you today?"   
"Well, there's a friend of mine who's been feeling down lately, and I'm worried about her. I'd like to dedicate a song to her, but I don't even know where to begin."   
"Relax, friend. I said we'd do our best to help out here. Now, what's wrong with your friend?"   
"She knows she has friends who love her, but a part of her still believes she's completely alone."   
"All right. I think I can give you a perfect tune without having to type in anything for a search. There's a song from the year 2000 called 'Crash and Burn' by the group Savage Garden. Don't be misled by the title; it's a tune about feeling alone."   
"I think that's perfect for her. Could you play it?"   
"I'll play it next thing."   
"Thanks a lot. I just hope this'll help her."   
"Trust me, pal. This song is a true inspirational piece."   
Angie was still in the practice room. She sat in a chair near a piece of equipment, which Ace would be using for the show later in the evening.   
Cosmo came into the room and said, "Hey, turn on the radio station KLZO. I think you'll like what they're playing."   
She was a little confused but went ahead and turned on the radio. _"I don't understand what he's trying to do."_   
Randy Rocker then came on. "Hey, here's a good tune for the soul. Someone wants to dedicate a song to a friend, a friend who has others who care about her but has a piece of her not believing it."   
Then, she started hearing the words to the song. "When you feel all alone, and the world has turned its back on you, give me a moment, please, to tame your wild, wild heart . . ."   
Angie had remembered hearing that song before, at her parents' funeral after they were killed in their car accident. The song gave her strength to continue her dreams and her life then, and it was beginning to do it to her again.   
She walked up to Cosmo and gave him a hug of friendship. "Thank you, Cosmo. I know that tune by heart, as it's always been a source of inner strength. How did you know about what song—"   
"Actually, I didn't. Randy Rocker determined that from the way I was describing how you were feeling. From that, he figured out just what song you should hear."   
"Cosmo, I don't know what to say to you but thanks. You, Ace, Mona, Zina, Angel, Ashley, and all the others really are the best friends I've had in my life. If only I knew why some part of me wants to deny that fact."   
From behind a deep male voice said, "Maybe I can help you with that."   
Ace and Mona returned from their lunch date.   
"Why did you practice anyway, Angie? You know I'm performing solo tonight."   
"I know. I wanted to practice . . . in order to try to get away from last night's bad dream. I couldn't do it."   
"Practice or escape the nightmare?"   
"Both."   
"Angie, I—"   
He was interrupted by Angel's appearance. "There is a young woman at the door."   
"Okay. Angie, I want you to go to my room and start meditating. I'll join you as soon as I've finished with the visitor. Sound okay to you?"   
"Sure, but I don't want to interfere with your practice, since you do have your show tonight."   
"Don't worry. It won't be a problem."   
Angie took off for Ace's room while he went to the door to see the visitor.   
When the door opened, he noticed a teenage girl, the one who had followed him and Mona from the restaurant. "Hello, Miss. Can I be of any assistance?"   
"Hello, Mr. Cooper. My name is Darlena Lowland. I'm a pretty good magician." She demonstrated by making a whole deck of cards appear from her hands and then transformed them all into crickets. "I was wondering if you would take me in as an apprentice."   
Trying not to be rude, Ace kindly said, "I'm sorry, Miss Lowland. I'm afraid I don't have enough room for a third apprentice. I've already got two good ones I'm working with now. I wish I could do more to help you, but there isn't enough room or time. I hope you understand."   
"I understand, Mr. Cooper," she said in an innocent tone of voice. "Thanks anyway."   
After Ace went back inside and the door closed, Darlena started walking away, but her face started to grow angry. _"He doesn't understand. I'm **better** at magic than Angela Jacobs could ever be. **I** deserve to be working with the Magician, not her. Maybe I can convince him for sure after his show tonight."_   
Before he went to his room to join Angie in meditation, Mona stopped him and asked, "What was that all about, Ace?"   
"Oh, just someone else who wants to jump on the apprentice bandwagon. I've already got the two best apprentices possible, so I kindly apologized to her and said I couldn't take in another apprentice. Now, I can sense Angie's already in her meditative state, so I'm going to join her and see if I can help figure out what's wrong."   
Upon entering his room, he noticed his younger counterpart taking deep breaths and having her eyes closed to concentrate. _"Angie, I'm here,"_ Ace said to her telepathically.   
_"Thanks, Ace. Maybe you can help me with this problem of mine."_   
He then sat down across from her and took both hands. Closing his eyes, he meditated with Angie to help her get to the source of the problem. _"Angie, I'm beginning to see something forming in my mind. I believe . . . it's you and Ashley in a room together. Is this after you had saved her life with your magic?"_   
_ "Yes, it is." _The younger magician sent the images of the time after the dramatic rescue into Ace's mind. 

_ In the lodge, Ashley closed the door to their room while Angie sat on her bed, more nervous than ever after what she had done just a couple of hours earlier that day, saving her best friend from death the way she did._   
_ "I can't believe it," said Ashley in a tone of slight excitement. "My best friend is a magician or something."_   
_ Angie quickly responded, "No, I'm not. I'm just lucky to have been there when I was. It's not magic or anything."_   
_ "The way you're sounding, I think you've done this before, haven't you?"_   
_ "Actually, twice before. I saved Dad with this power when a power line almost hit the ladder he was standing on. That was when I was just seven years old."_   
_ "You've known about this since you were **seven!?** That's about ten years! When was the other time you used this gift?"_   
_ Trying not to face her friend with teary eyes, Angie answered, "It was four years later, at a ranch not too far from Mason City. When a bull broke out of its pen, I learned there were kids playing right in its path. My powers suddenly kicked in again when I knew those kids were in danger. I was able to enlist the aid of a wild horse that was fast enough to catch up to the bull. I was able to keep the bull about a mile away from those kids." Turning to face Ashley, she added, "This is the first time in six years I've used my powers again."_   
_ "You said it only comes to light when your concern for someone's safety becomes extremely great."_   
_ "Right. For some strange reason, it knows . . . or senses my feelings. It knows I want to rescue the people in trouble; that's when my power becomes present within my heart. Until now, I've never told anyone about this_   
_secret."_   
_ Ashley became surprised. "Wait a minute! You mean you haven't told your parents about this yet?"_   
_ Shaking her head in fear, Angie answered, "No way! I can't tell them. They'll reject me or something, think of me as some sort of freak who belongs in a circus."_   
_ "Angie, that's not true," her best friend said while placing a right hand on her shoulder. "They're your parents. They love you no matter what you are or what you have. Look at me. I'm from a wealthy family, but Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs see me as a kindhearted person who cares, not a person who has a lot of money. I wish I could live with you and your parents because I want to **feel** like a wealthy person, and money does **not** buy happiness._   
_"However, you mustn't keep your parents in the dark about this. You've got to tell them the truth, and I want you to do it immediately when we get home."_   
_ Angie became frighteningly nervous. "No! I can't tell them the truth, not this soon!"_   
_ "All right, one week, then."_   
_ "No, we both have term papers to work on when we get back." Angie thought intently about what to do in this strange situation. "I've got it. The final deadline for this will be graduation night. Fair enough to you?"_   
_ Ashley thought it to be a good idea. "It's a deal. You have to tell your parents the truth **no later** than the night we graduate. To make sure you keep your word, I'm going to be at your house that night."_   
_ "At least," Angie started with a sigh of relief, "I'll have plenty of time to figure out what I want to say to them about this strange power of mine."_

Seeing all this in his mind, Ace understood the promise Angie had made to her best friend. _"So, you were able to tell Ashley the truth without being afraid because you cared about her as a real sister. You were going to tell your parents, but then came that accident, which forced you to hide your secret further from everyone else."_   
Angie, with tears coming from her closed eyes, responded by thought, _"Yes. I was very fortunate not to have had to use my magic at all during college. I barely had any friends at that time because I devoted the time to studying to escape both my parents' deaths and the fear of this magical power."_   
Ace opened his eyes and looked at her sadly. "Angie, come here."   
She reached out and hugged her friend in a warm embrace. "I'm sorry, Ace."   
"It's all right, Angie. I know it's been hard on you. You basically suffered what I did at about your age: the fear of this power. You understood what I went through when you helped me in Japan with Sailor Moon and her friends. Now I understand you much better. Just remember, we're all here for you. Don't feel like you're completely alone because you're not. Your mother and father would be very proud of you for being the person you are. I'm proud of you, too."   
Releasing the hug, Angie dried her eyes and smiled at her friend. "Thanks, Ace. I think I'm finally beginning to understand I'm not as alone as the part of me wants to believe, but that part will still believe it from time to time."   
"That's okay. Sometimes even I can doubt myself about having friends, but believe me, the friends you have will always be there for you, no matter what happens." Changing the subject, the Magician said, "Now, it's my turn to practice for the show tonight. Why don't you watch some TV in the living room?"   
"Maybe that'll get my mind off things for now," said a contented Angie. "Who knows, maybe I can find something to get people for Christmas."   
The two magicians left Ace's room as he took off for the practice room to finalize his act for that evening, and she went to the living room to watch television.   
On the television set, Angie watched her favorite game show, _The Price Is Right_, and noticed the array of great prizes. Guessing the prices of a car and a bedroom suite, she was always excited when the contestant would get it right and feel sorry for someone who did not quite get the correct price.   
Mona, who was in the kitchen starting preparations for dinner, heard Angie's excited voice and decided to go see what she was doing.   
During the commercials, Angie came to notice a pair of beautiful but expensive sneakers. "I'd love to get those one day because the colors really stand out."   
Mona took an opportunity to grab a piece of paper and a pen to write down everything Angie really wanted, which soon included a new dress, some mini-discs of the hottest groups, and an exquisite necklace with a heart locket.   
Angie then noticed something else. "Wow," she whispered, "what a pretty piece of art that is. I'd love to have it—" She suddenly stopped herself in her train of thought and got visibly upset. "What the heck am I doing!? I don't—I can't ask for any of these things! If I do, it'll make me selfish and greedy. No, I will not ask for anything, not as long as I'm here with my friends. That's asking too much, and I don't want to be a freeloader!"   
Mona had her list of items completed when she heard her friend's reaction. _"Poor Angie. I know there's the adage, 'It is better to give than to receive,' but in this case, she gives so much and never receives anything in return. She doesn't feel she deserves anything. Ace was right, and now **I'm** worried, too." _She decided to join Angie in the living room. "Hi, Angie."   
"Oh, hi, Mona. You probably heard me getting upset about the stuff I saw, right?"   
"Yes, I did. I won't ask any questions about it, but you're being way too hard on yourself. You can't spend your whole life worrying about other people around you. You have to be able to give a little time and love to yourself."   
"I can't do that, Mona. Mom and Dad never did, and I'm not about to do that either."   
"That's not possible," Mona said while looking straight at Angie. "When they were growing up, their parents probably understood that children have a right to think about themselves and love themselves as long as they don't think of themselves too much. There's a precious balance between thinking about others and thinking about yourself. You can live a life where being a little selfish isn't bad."   
"You may believe that, Mona, but for some reason, I don't. The safety and concern for my friends must override anything I want in life. I can't just go and think about the things I want without affecting everyone else. I'm sorry, Mona, but that's just the way I am." Angie then stepped away and left Mona wondering.   
"I can't understand why she won't listen to me. My father allows me to be the person I am without affecting him too much. It's almost like she doesn't want to accept herself because she spent her life always worrying for the welfare of others who were less fortunate than she was. If only there was something I could do to make her be able to be happy with herself. She's enjoyed helping others but won't get anything back for it. I just don't know what to do at this point."   
Angie decided to step out of the Magic Express and walk around the city, since she had never really seen what Lazaro City looked like. Absorbing the view of all the buildings, she was impressed by the architecture. "It has its own style to distinguish itself from looking too much like Electro City. It's a nice place."   
She then came to notice a flyer on a light pole. "It says, 'Be sure to attend the Party Carnival out in the desert. It's the largest carnival of this kind, attracting hundreds of thousands of people from around the world every year.'" Angie wondered if she could ask Ace to make a stop at this festival before their return to Electro City. "Yeah, why not? Maybe they have one of those double Ferris wheel rides. It's hard to believe that ride can still exist in the 21st Century. I guess when a lot of people like a classic ride like that, it can be around for hundreds of years."   
She continued looking around the city until she heard a cry for help. Using her sensitive hearing, she ran to the source of the problem: two young criminals were trying to steal money from an older woman's purse, and she was cornered in an alley.   
"Give us the money, Grandma!" yelled one of the hooligans.   
The elderly woman pleaded, "No, please, I have to use this money to get my groceries."   
The other crook took out a knife and shouted, "Hand over the dough, old timer!"   
Angie knew she would never allow this to happen. Feeling the power within her heart, she put her right arm forward and magically changed the knife into a dove.   
The two crooks were shocked at what had happened and turned to face the person who had done it.   
"How dare you do that!" yelled crook #2. "That was my dad's Swiss Army knife!"   
"I assume you stole it from your father, didn't you?" Angie asked angrily.   
The first crook stared at her and said, "Just who do you think **_you_** are?"   
"Right now, that's not important. Leave her alone."   
"You don't tell us what to do, little girl! This is our turf, and we take what we want!"   
"Not from someone who's defenseless, you don't! What's the matter with you two, anyway? Stealing money from an elderly person who probably needs it. Don't you have any pride?"   
"Yeah, we do," said the second crook. "We're both proud to take anything, money, stuff, whatever."   
Angie stared at the pair and said, "If this is your idea of pride, then I feel pity for you."   
"Save your pity for the weak, baby! You're going down now!"   
As the two thieves ran towards Angie, she closed her eyes and felt the magic flowing through her from head to toe. Glowing in her aura of light blue, she extended both arms out to the sides and suddenly yelled, **_"Freeze!"_**   
Amazingly, the two crooks suddenly stopped in their place.   
"What the heck's goin' on here!?" yelled the first crook. "I can't move a muscle!"   
As the second looked at her with fright in his eyes, he questioned, "How in the world can you do this?"   
"Sorry, pal," Angie started to answer, "but a **_magician_** will never reveal her secrets."   
Just then, a Lazaro City police officer came to the scene. "Say, what happened here?"   
The elderly woman came up to the officer and replied, "This young lady just saved my life. These two young monsters were trying to steal my money when she came along."   
Taking a closer look at her, the officer knew who she was. "I don't believe it! Angela Jacobs, training magician under Ace Cooper!"   
The two crooks finally realized her identity.   
"Aw, man!" yelled the first crook. "She's one of those two crimefighting magicians from Electro City."   
The officer smiled and said, "That's right. Good thing she showed up when she did." He then looked at Angie and asked, "Um, will I be able to put handcuffs on them?"   
"Sure. Just move their arms down to the point where you can use the cuffs. I'll make sure they get to your police vehicle without incident."   
A few minutes later, the two criminals were in the back seat of the officer's car.   
"Miss Jacobs," said the officer, "thank you for your help. We've been trying to catch these two for about three months now. I would love to give you an award."   
Angie shook her head and said, "No award is necessary. Just being able to help someone in trouble is more than enough for me."   
"I understand." Getting into the car, he added, "Thanks again, Miss Jacobs." He then drove off with the pair towards the police station.   
The elderly person looked at Angie and said, "How can I ever repay you for your kindness?"   
"You don't have to, ma'am. As long as you have the money to get those groceries, that's enough for me, really."   
"You mean you don't accept any rewards at all?"   
"I've never really done that in my life. I've always been a person who believes in giving more than receiving. Thank you, anyway." She then looked at her watch. "Uh-oh, I need to get back to the Magic Express and cook dinner for Ace before he performs tonight at the newly renovated Chrysalis Arena. Are you sure you'll be all right?"   
"Yes, I'll be fine now, and so will the rest of this neighborhood because of what you were able to do against those two. They had control of this area for a long time, stealing money and goods, breaking into homes, and the like. Now our neighborhood will be a little more peaceful thanks to you."   
"Glad I could help. I'd better go, though. So long."   
As Angie walked away, the elderly woman smiled and said to herself, "That's one incredible young woman who knows how to defend herself and others pretty well. I hope she'll be happy in her life."   
Walking back, the female magician smiled, as she knew she had done a good deed for someone again. _"I feel great. I was able to help an elderly person keep her much needed money."_   
Just then, a warm and rich male voice entered her mind. _"Great job, Angie, doing your part to stop those two criminals."_   
_ "You saw it all?"_   
_ "Within my mind. I'm proud to know you're using your magic to help other people."_   
_ "Just like you, my friend. So, how did practice go?"_   
_ "It went very well. I think I'm ready to perform at the Chrysalis tonight without a problem. On your way home to cook?"_   
_ "Yeah. For dinner tonight it's grilled chicken leg quarters, soft white rice, and some stew. That should give you enough energy to get through your show this evening."_   
_ "Looking forward to it, Angie. By the way, Mona told me about your getting upset when you started desiring some things."_   
_ "I'm sorry I got upset at her, Ace. I just don't feel like I should get anything back for everything I've done. I just don't want to become selfish."_   
_ "Angie, I—Maybe we should discuss this after my show tonight. We're all worried about you. We're your friends, and we'll always be there for you."_   
_ "I didn't mean to get you all worried."_   
_ "I sense you're thinking you're a hindrance. You're not, and we won't let you accept that, okay?"_   
_ "Okay, Ace. I'll be home in about ten minutes to get that dinner started."_   
With that thought, she went back to the Magic Express and started making the dinner for Ace and the others. 

Meanwhile, at a small apartment in the heart of the city, Darlena was eating a hamburger from a fast food restaurant. "I don't care what it takes. I want Mr. Cooper to realize I'm far better than Angela Jacobs in magic. I'll sneak into the Chrysalis while he's performing and make sure he listens to what I have to say after his show. I am to be an apprentice to the greatest magician in the world, not someone who starts at such an old age! Some of the tricks she does are so old I can't stand it! I'll show him some of my more advanced tricks, and then he'll send that loser packing once and for all."   
Finishing her hamburger, she then went to her bedroom and got dressed for the show. She did not have a ticket for Ace's performance, but she did not care.   
She then left her apartment and headed to the Chrysalis Arena in the hope she would somehow make Ace Cooper listen to her. She had every intention on getting Angie out of the Magician's team once and for all.


	2. Part 2

Love for One, Love for All

Part 2   


  


After Ace and company enjoyed another one of Angie's culinary masterpieces, Ace and Mona left in the Magic Racer, they being on their way to the Chrysalis Arena.   
The arena had been under extensive renovation by Lazaro City's preservation society. The building itself was erected in the 1940s during World War II as a movie theater where one could pay as little as ten cents per movie. Then, as movie complexes were coming into their own place in society, the Chrysalis was soon converted into an arena for concerts, sports, and the like.   
However, as most people were able to see events on television on a regular basis, the Chrysalis suffered a major decline of visitors, until the city's preservation society opted to do something about it. Getting donations of $15 million, including a large donation from Ace Cooper himself (he believed in preserving pieces of the past himself), the building was completely restored within a two-year span.   
To show their appreciation to the Magician for his help in the project, the preservation society wanted him to be the first person to perform on the stage on the night of its grand re-opening. Ace happily accepted the offer two months earlier, and tonight, he was definitely ready to show what he could do in front of 15,000 people in the arena and many millions more watching on television via Sensa-News.   
He needed not worry about the equipment provided for the evening performance, as that was delivered to the arena a couple of hours ahead of his arrival.   
When Ace and Mona arrived, the crowd of people standing in line cheered and applauded the appearance of the Magician on this special night.   
Then, Sensa-News reporter Kendra Rayler (a lot nicer and more ethical than Duke Paparazzo, who was on assignment covering Electro City's restaurants) kindly walked up to Ace and asked one question. "Mr. Cooper, how do you feel about being the first performer at the renovated Chrysalis?"   
"I find this to be a true honor. This building is a part of Lazaro City's history, and I want to see that it stays around for many more generations to come. In order to live in the present, we must learn from the past, which in turn will help us prepare for the future. The Chrysalis is a special place for everyone to enjoy, and I'm happy to be a part of this night of true magic."   
"In that case, Mr. Cooper, good luck on your performance tonight." Kendra then shook Ace's hand. As he and Mona left to enter the backstage area, Kendra looked into the camera and happily said, "He's right about the 'true magic.' That comes from the fact this structure was rescued from demolition just a couple of years ago, and Ace Cooper had a lot to do with it. With the cheering section behind me, this is Kendra Rayler for Sensa-News."   
Standing in a dark alley not too far away from all the action was Darlena Lowland, determined to find a way into the arena to get backstage and talk to Ace Cooper. "I couldn't get a ticket for his performance. They sold out in just ten minutes. I have to get in there and tell him to get rid of Angela Jacobs. If he could just hear my side of the story, he'll take me in and dump her. I'll wait until after the show to sneak in. The crowd can serve as the camouflage for me."   
She eyed the place with a mean look and thought, "Before long, I will serve as an apprentice to the greatest magician on the planet, and that older loser will be left in the dust forever."   
On the inside of the arena, Ace accompanied Mona to the special seat just for her in the first row of the arena. "Will this seat suit you?"   
Mona smiled at her love. "I think it's perfect, but you better not do anything that'll splash this dress."   
"Look below you."   
She noticed the tarp. "Oh, I see that's been prepared, too. I guess I have nothing to worry about."   
"Mona, you know I don't want to ruin your new red dress you saved just for this occasion. I'd be horrified if I did."   
"You'd be even more horrified if I told you if a stain gets in, it'll never come out."   
Ace blushed and responded, "I promise, Mona, I won't cause a problem for your dress. I'll let you know when it's time to use the tarp, okay?"   
"Deal. I know you've been waiting for this chance for a long time. Good luck." She then kissed him on the cheek.   
The Magician was smitten by that kiss. "I won't fail you, my love," he said in bliss. He then went backstage to get himself ready for the act.   
Closing the door behind him, he closed his eyes and communicated with his younger counterpart by telepathy. _"Angie, can you hear me?"_   
Back at the Magic Express, where Cosmo, Angie, and Zina had the living room television on ready to watch Ace's newest performance, Angie could hear his voice of calm and reason. _"Yes, Ace. I'm ready to watch you on TV."_   
_ "Just promise you won't interrupt me with an emergency."_   
_ "Can't make that promise, but I can certainly try. Good luck, friend."_   
_ "Thanks, Angie. And don't forget, we'll talk a little later on, got it?"_   
_ "I haven't forgotten. Well, as the old showbiz saying goes, 'Break a leg!'"_   
Ace laughed at that thought as he opened his eyes and smiled. "Now, just a little make up to put on, and I'm ready to go, since I am going to be seen by millions . . . again."   
About 20 minutes later, the Magician made a spectacular appearance on the stage in a flash of light. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I am proud to perform here on such an historic night, the revitalized and renovated Chrysalis Arena is ready to host many events in the years ahead, and I will have the privilege of being the first performer on the stage on its night of grand re-opening." Making four butterflies appear from both hands, he added, "Let this be a night of real magic for all of us, and not just my act, either."   
The audience laughed in joy at Ace's ad-lib as he was ready to begin his performance with a small fireball. Making it appear between his hands, he looked into the audience and said, "Folks, you know in the old days, when people did barbecues for friends and family, they would have to rely on charcoal briquettes, lighting fluid, and of course, fire. Nowadays people use propane gas grills to cook, but I wouldn't let the fire die off that easily. No, I didn't take this from an old-fashioned barbecue, but just look at how much magic you can make with one simple fireball." Controlling the little ball's every movement, Ace made it go from left to right, then up and down, and finally all around his body. As he started spinning, the fireball left a trail of flame, which soon had him engulfed.   
The crowd grew a little concerned, especially Mona, but Ace changed the fire around him into more butterflies, which flew around the entire arena to the delight of the fans inside and the fans watching the event on television.   
He took a bow and said, "Sorry I had you all worried. You must have thought this could have been my last performance. Not to fear, my friends. Doing things like this is a part of my job, and I don't mind it at all."   
As two boxes were coming out onto the stage, the Magician said, "Now, you're probably wondering why I don't have my two apprentices with me tonight. The reason is a simple one: They needed the night off after almost four weeks of nonstop work, so I figured this would be the night to get some rest. Even the best magicians in the world need some time off to relax, right?"   
Mona found herself laughing at her love's kindhearted joke. _"He's right. Cosmo and Angie have worked really hard to help Ace and practice themselves. They need a little time to take it easy and just enjoy it. I just hope Angie's going to be okay, though. She's been sad for almost two days now because she believes she's causing problems for us, but that's just not so."_   
As the two boxes were put at each end of the stage, Ace stated, "Okay, everyone. For my next trick, I'm going to go into the box on your left and somehow come out the box on your right without sneaking around backstage. To prove it, I would like two people to come up here." He then pointed out an elderly woman in the fourth row and a male college freshman in the ninth row on Ace's right.   
When the two volunteers came onto the stage, Ace declared, "Ma'am, I want you to stand behind the box to the left of the audience, while you, sir, will be behind the one to its right. Both of you will see if I try to sneak backstage to get to the other box, but I'll show all of you I won't. Are you ready?"   
Everyone cheered as Ace went into the box on the left side of the stage. Before closing the door he turned to the woman and added, "Now remember, if you see me trying to sneak backstage, I want you to grab my arm gently and pull me to the center of the stage." He then closed the door.   
On the inside, Ace pulled the cape over himself and concentrated with his mind. In a matter of seconds, he glowed in a bright violet light and completely vanished.   
At the left side of the stage, the elderly woman was waiting patiently to see if he would sneak out of the box and go backstage.   
However, unbeknownst to everyone, he reemerged inside the right box and was ready to surprise the crowd. He let out a fun snicker. _"They're not going to believe this one."_   
The young man at the right box heard a knock on the door. When he opened it, the Magician stepped out and smiled. The freshman was totally shocked. "Man, I didn't even hear any footsteps or see you coming. You did it, Mr. Cooper."   
The elderly woman on the other side was just as amazed. "Fantastic, Mr. Cooper. You fooled me, too."   
The audience applauded loudly as Ace took a bow at center stage and gave the two volunteers credit for doing an incredible job.   
Throughout the evening on the outside, Darlena was looking at the act through the giant screen, provided for people who could not get in to see the show. She noticed the tricks Ace had done so far. "He's a real master. I must get the chance to train under him, and make him realize that girl he has with him has no business being a part of the act."   
Back in the arena, Ace was about ready to perform his grand finale act, one that would involve a large tank of water, hence the tarp needed for the first row, where Mona sat.   
"It's now time for the grand finale trick of the evening. What I'm going to do this time is so dangerous, I don't recommend you try this, period. I am going to get into a straightjacket and chains and see if I can get out of this before I run out of breath. If I create a splash, that's the reason for the tarp. Now, if the young lady with the beautiful red dress in the front row will come up here and help me get all this gear on, I'll be ready for it."   
Mona stepped onto the stage to help him get into the special equipment he would need for the trick. Without making too much noise, she whispered, "Ace, please be careful. I don't want to lose you in a situation like this."   
"Don't worry. I'll be fine, I promise." After stepping to the top of the ladder, he asked her to chain his ankles as well, making this trick even more dangerous.   
He then looked at the audience and said, "Everyone, I want to say something now. If I don't come out of this alive, it was an honor to be a part of this special night."   
Mona, as well as everyone else in the audience, had a grave look of concern on her face when she got back to her seat and pulled the tarp over her dress.   
Ace then took a deep breath and dived into the tank of water. A couple of years ago, he had broken a world record for the longest amount of time underwater, but he had practiced to see if he could add one to two minutes more to his record. It took a very long time, and even he was not sure he could pull this off. Fortunately, with words of encouragement from Cosmo and Angie, he decided to push forward and go for it. After months of rigorous and risky practices, this was the real moment of truth: Performing such a high-risk trick in front of the thousands in the arena and the millions more watching it on television.   
At the Magic Express, Angie watched very nervously as her magical mentor was trying to stay underwater as long as he could while trying to break free of his bonds. "Be careful, Ace," she whispered to herself while she held her hands like she was praying. "It's been a hard road for this trick, but I believe in you, my friend."   
In the tank, Ace could feel Angie's concern and care. _"Thank you, Angie,"_ he thought to himself. _"I believe in myself, too."_   
As he continued trying to reach the surface for air, the water started splashing all over the first row, but all onlookers were prepared with the tarp to prevent them from getting wet.   
After about seven minutes, Ace had easily shattered his world record, but he was running out of air.   
Mona quickly jumped up and shouted, "Hurry, Ace!"   
A few seconds later, using all his might and his magic, he freed himself and swam to the surface of the tank.   
His love breathed a huge sigh of relief. She whispered, "Don't scare me like that again, Magician. You cut that way too close this time."   
After swimming to the edge where the ladder was, Ace stood at the top of the ladder and came down. Gasping a little bit, he came to the center stage, to the delight and relief of all the fans who had watched this unbelievable trick occur.   
"Whew, that's better. Now the Chrysalis has something else to celebrate, too. The underwater immersion record has been crushed by more than two minutes, and you've all been witnesses to it. Thank you very much."   
The audience cheered and applauded his brilliant performance, seeing the greatest magician in the world accomplish this incredible feat.   
"I thank you all for being here tonight. Of course, I will return here next week for a special benefit performance for the new wing of the children's hospital. Oh, and bring the kids for this one. Angela Jacobs, who's the official Magic Express chef, will perform one of her famous recipe magic tricks. This time the recipe will be for homemade apple pie. Until next week, remember: With magic, there is always a trick."   
He then took a bow one last time and walked offstage as Mona came up and joined him.   
Outside, as the crowd dispersed, Darlena took the chance she had waited for. She quietly went through the crowd and headed for the backstage area. Noting the two guards standing there, she took a rock and threw it in the opposite direction to distract the security.   
As soon as they went to check out the disturbance, she quickly ran to the door, opened it, and closed it very quietly.   
The two guards did not find anything and went back to their posts.   
In there, she saw Ace talking with Mona. _"I'll have to wait until he's alone. Then, I'll tell him what he should be doing."_   
Mona looked at him and said, "You had me worried for a little while. I didn't think you'd get out of that."   
"Aw, I'm sorry, Mona. I didn't mean to scare you like that. Besides, I had a little help in a way. I'll meet you at the Magic Racer in five minutes, okay?"   
"All right, see you at the car." Mona then left the area to head to the Racer.   
Ace proceeded to his dressing room to dry himself off quickly. "Whew, what a performance."   
"You're right, Mr. Cooper," said a young female voice.   
He snapped, "Who's in here?"   
Coming forward was a young woman with blonde hair and hazel eyes and wearing all black. "You met me earlier today. I'm Darlena Lowland, remember?"   
"How did you get in here? There were security guards at the door."   
"I have ways of doing things, Mr. Cooper."   
"Okay, you made it in here. Now, what do you want?"   
"I want to be a part of your team."   
"Miss Lowland, I already explained to you I have two good apprentices. I don't have room for a third."   
"I know, which is why I'm here. I think one of those apprentices needs to go . . . particularly Angela Jacobs."   
Ace had a look of shock on his face while anger began to grow in his blue eyes. "What did you just say?"   
"Look, Angela is too old to be just starting out learning magic. I've been doing it for years, and I think I should be working alongside you, not her."   
The Magician's eyes were brewing further in anger. "You listen here, Darlena. Angela may be in her 20s and just now starting to really understand magic, but she is a fast learner. She's also the 'little sister' of the team; she looks out for us and makes sure we're healthy and safe."   
Darlena started to feel upset herself. "So, you would rather keep that old loser on your team instead of throwing her out and taking me in?"   
"Judging by your apparent rotten attitude and obvious jealousy towards others, I'm going to be perfectly honest. You will **_never_** have a place on the team as long as you have this attitude problem. Besides, it's not _my_ team; it's _our_ team, which has been built on trust and friendship for a long time. Angie's been with us for just over a year, but she learns tricks faster than I ever could when I was just starting out. I would trust both Cosmo and Angie with my life, and vice versa."   
"Yeah, then why wasn't she here tonight?" asked an angry Darlena. "Was it because she wasn't good enough to be in a show of this caliber?"   
"Angie was not here tonight because I gave her and Cosmo the day off. They had been working very hard for the last 3½ weeks, and they needed some rest. However, she will be performing next week at the benefit, making homemade apple pie with her magic. You see, Angie is in our 'family,' so to speak, and I don't intend on changing that now or ever. Good evening, Miss Lowland!" Ace angrily stormed out of the building to join up with Mona in the Magic Racer.   
Left in the dark, Darlena grew angrier. "How dare you reject me, Cooper! I'm far better than Angela Jacobs with magic, and I'll make you understand that somehow! You **_will_** take me in, or I'll make sure you'll never get a chance to take someone else in! I'll see to it you and your friends **_never_** get back to Electro City alive!" With that angry statement she stormed out of the arena through the other door. 

Back at the Magic, Angie and Cosmo finished watching the show and were about to turn in for the night.   
Just then, Angie had this rotten feeling in her heart. "What's going on?"   
"Hey, you okay?" asked a worried Cosmo.   
"I don't know. I sense anger within Ace's heart."   
"You don't think he had a major fallout with Mona, do you?"   
"I'm not sure." She closed her eyes and put her hands to the temples of her head to concentrate. _"Ace, why are you angry?"_   
As the images became clearer in her mind, she noticed Ace with a teenage girl and the shouting match. Upon hearing about being called an old loser by the teenage girl, Angie became visibly upset. "Oh, no! I may be thrown off the team forever!" She burst into tears, ran into her room, and locked the door.   
Cosmo became very shocked at that statement. "Thrown off the team? What . . . what are you talkin' about?" He ran to the door of her room. "Angie, open the door, please. Let's talk about this. Ace doesn't want to throw you out."   
Angie, on her bed, held the photo of her and her parents very close to her sad and broken heart. "I knew it, I just knew it. I **_am_** getting in everyone's way! I knew I shouldn't have joined up!" 

At the arena, Mona noticed a visibly upset Ace approaching the car. "Ace, are you all right? What happened?"   
Ace took a few deep breaths to try to cool himself down. "That visitor I had earlier today. She was able to sneak backstage after the show tonight and persisted in wanting to become an apprentice under me. I had explained the situation when I learned what she _really_ wanted."   
"And what may I ask was that?"   
"She wants to . . . to **_replace_** Angie on the team."   
"That girl wants to do **_what!?_**"   
"That's right. Darlena Lowland wants to replace Angie as an apprentice to me."   
"How cruel! Why does she want Angie out?"   
"She thinks Angie's too old to begin to learn magic. Only problem is Angie really started learning when she was seven years old."   
"Right, but she didn't practice on a regular basis because she was scared of her gift and the reactions of others."   
"Darlena is just 16 years old and is skilled in magic, but she only thinks about herself."   
Just then, Cosmo appeared on the miniature video screen in the car. "Ace, dude! We've got a big problem!"   
"What's wrong, Cosmo?"   
"Angie's locked herself in her room, and I can't get her to open the door."   
Ace closed his eyes to concentrate on his younger counterpart. "Oh, no. Angie must have read my mind and thought I was going to throw her out." He then looked at Cosmo. "Mona and I will be there on the double. Stay outside her room for now."   
The two jumped into the Magic Racer and raced away to see if they could help the distraught young magician at the Express.   
On the other side, Darlena, still fuming from the Magician's rejection of her to join the team, saw the Racer zooming by. When it was out of sight, she angrily whispered, "Do what you want tonight, Cooper, because it'll be the last night you'll be seen alive by anyone!" She walked away, her mind set on killing Ace Cooper and his friends for being rejected. 

Within 15 minutes, Ace and Mona parked the Racer in the hangar bay of the Magic Express and ran inside to reach Angie's room.   
"Any change, Cosmo?" Ace asked frantically.   
"No, dude. She still won't open the door, and I know she's crying hard in there."   
Ace then stepped to the door and knocked on it. "Angie, it's me, Ace. Please open the door."   
Inside, she faced the door and said, "Why should I? I know you're going to throw me out for good."   
"Angie, that's not true. You read the thought the wrong way. It was that girl who said you were an old loser. You are a part of this team—no, family, and I would rather have you here than her. She's selfish and conceited; you're not."   
"It doesn't matter, Ace. She's better at magic than I am anyway, so maybe you should go ahead and be rid of me."   
Ace could feel the painful wound deep in Angie's heart. He closed his eyes to communicate with her mind-to-mind. _"Angie, please open the door. We're your friends, and we **do** love you like a little sister. Please, let us come in and help you."_   
No matter how upset she was, Angie always found Ace's mental voice warm, calm, and soothing. She believed he truly wanted to help her, so she looked at the door and said, "Angel, go ahead and unlock the door."   
The second the door opened, Ace ran up to Angie and hugged her tightly.   
Angie cried, "I'm sorry, Ace. I didn't mean to do this, but I sensed anger in your heart, so I wanted to check. I guess I didn't do that right at all, did I?"   
"It's okay, Angie. You thought something was wrong with me, and you read my mind to see what was going on. Unfortunately, you saw the part where Darlena called you an old loser for starting out at a much older age than average."   
"Darlena?"   
"Yes, that's her name. Darlena Lowland. Angel?"   
As the 3-D pointed hologram appeared in the room, the AI said, "Yes, Ace?"   
"I want you to add Darlena Lowland to the security risks list. She's become a dangerous individual who may resort to drastic measures because I did reject her."   
"I assume that was the visitor from earlier today?"   
"That's right."   
"I shall do so immediately." After but a few seconds, Angel said, "Already done, Ace."   
"Thanks, Angel." He then made a handkerchief appear in his left hand and gave it to Angie. "Here."   
She accepted the small gift and cleaned her eyes and nose with it. "My crying spells aren't doing much for me, are they?"   
"Angie, listen to me. I know for a fact since you joined up with us more than a year ago, you've emerged from your shy, quiet shell and blossomed into a beautiful—" He then made something else appear from his right hand. "—butterfly."   
Angie smiled at the sight of such a stunning creature of nature. "Ace, I didn't mean to cause all this trouble on you."   
"Don't blame yourself for what happened here. Darlena just doesn't understand no one is too old or too young to do anything anymore. You've been gifted with something very special, but you were too scared to use it while growing up because of how other people would think of you. Nowadays, you're not afraid to use your powers, but you only use them when you really need to, not anytime you desire. You'll never use your magic to cook, clean, or shop for groceries. You prefer doing that yourself."   
"I like doing things like that, when I **_don't_** have to use my powers for purposes such as those. I find it more rewarding when I cook with my two hands, not with magical powers. I would rather use my powers to practice, perform, and defend others. To me, having magical powers is like owning a pet. It takes work and responsibility, and I'm not about to misuse my powers for personal gain."   
"Your parents raised you very well. You are a responsible adult who knows when and where to use magic properly. Darlena's never going to make here because she's filled with jealousy, greed, hatred, and selfishness. I wouldn't dare take in someone who's so callous and coldhearted. Are you going to be all right now?"   
"I think so, Ace. I'm sorry I made all of you upset."   
Mona sat next to Angie and said, "Don't worry about it. After all, you were just concerned about Ace's feelings, and you just wanted to be sure of what was going on. Just remember, though, we are your friends. If you ever need to talk with someone, don't be afraid to come to any of us, okay?"   
"Okay, Mona. So, we're going home tomorrow, right?"   
"You got it, dudette," answered Cosmo. "We'll be back next week, though, and, like, I can't wait for you to do that apple pie recipe in the act."   
"I can't either. It's one thing to cook the dish at home. It's quite another when you have to try to mix all the ingredients by magic."   
Everyone laughed at Angie's joke, but they were right.   
She had practiced for a few weeks to master the cooking magic, as it was the first time since her chocolate-chip caramel cake act in the performance a few months earlier.   
Angie herself felt much better. "I'll be okay now. Thanks for cheering me up, gang."   
"Aw," Cosmo answered while blushing. "That's what real friends do. When one of us is feeling down, the rest of us will gang up to cheer that person up."   
"Well, everyone," started Ace, "time to hit the sack. We've got a long road trip tomorrow, and I'd like us to get a good start in the morning."   
"Good night, all," said Angie as she put herself under the covers and quickly went to sleep.   
The others also changed into their sleep clothing and went to bed themselves. 

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Darlena went looking for someone to help her with her twisted plan. "Great, I need to find a good hacker, and I don't know where to start."   
Suddenly, a male voice smoothly said, "Need a computer hacker, huh?"   
"Yes, I do," she said, "but who are you?"   
A teenage gentleman with black hair stepped forward. He wore dark lenses in his sunglasses, as well as a black leather jacket, a red T-shirt, blue jeans, and black boots. "The name's Tracer. If you need me to hack a computer, I can do it, and no one can trace anything back to me."   
"Well, Tracer, maybe you can help me with this little problem I have. I'm Darlena Lowland."   
After the two teenagers shook hands, Tracer then asked, "So, what kind of problem do you have?"   
"I wanted to join up with Ace Cooper, the Magician, but he rejected me, claiming he would rather have that loser Angela Jacobs on his team. She's just too old to be a training magician, but he said she wasn't. That's the worst bunch of baloney I've ever heard."   
"Okay, so what is it you want to do, Darlena?"   
"I want to teach him a lesson, that I am not going to tolerate being rejected. I know I'm better than Angela Jacobs, but if he won't accept it, I want to make sure he doesn't get the opportunity to take another loser into his ranks. This is where you come in, Tracer. I want you to plant a powerful computer virus into his system at his home, the Magic Express. Make sure this is one so powerful, absolutely **_nothing_** can be done to stop it."   
"I may have one that could work for you. I remember reading the article where Bill Peach implanted a computer virus, but Cooper and his teen hacker partner were able to reboot their system's hard drive. I did learn from what he had done, and I have a virus so powerful, rebooting the system will be impossible. There's no way Cooper or his hacker friend can stop this one. Why don't you come up to my apartment, and I'll show you my systems."   
"You seem like the right guy for the job. Do you want anything in return for your services?"   
"For now, no. I'll tell you what I want if and when we get the job done. Fair enough?"   
"It's a deal, Tracer. Let's see what you've got."   
A few minutes later, Darlena entered Tracer's apartment on the fourth floor.   
"Wow!" she said in awe. "Your entire apartment is filled with computers?"   
"That's right. There are at least 15 computers in this place, including the ultra-ancient Commodore 64 from the 1980s. Thanks to a little souping up, this thing's as powerful as the rest of the systems I have."   
"The only question is, how do you keep this from getting traced back to you?"   
"I use at least ten different modems and at least 25 different telephone numbers to redirect everything. I've even hacked into government computers, but they've never been able to track it back to me. Trust me, we can pull this off. It's late for you, so why don't you get some sleep? I'll be here all night trying to hack into the Magic Express computer system."   
"You sure you don't mind?"   
"Not at all, Darlena."   
"I don't understand something. Why don't you call me 'baby' or 'honey' like most boys do?"   
"That's demeaning to a female, and I don't believe in it. Besides, what would you do if someone called you 'baby'?"   
"I'd levitate him into the air and scare him into leaving me alone."   
"If anyone tried to hit on you, you'd make 'em learn. Anyway, there's an extra blanket in the closet. My sofa is a futon. You can convert it into a bed in a few seconds. I'll let you know when I've got the virus ready to go."   
"Thanks, Tracer. At least someone here has respect for me."   
Darlena grabbed the blanket out of the closet and converted the futon sofa into a comfortable bed. She then went to sleep on it, all the while hoping she would wake up in time to see the end of Ace Cooper.   
_In the middle of the night, within her warped mind, she could see herself battling the Magician himself. "You're gonna get yours, Cooper! I'll teach you to reject me in favor of that old loser!" She then created an array of poisonous snakes to attack Ace Cooper!_   
_ The Magician looked at the ground with enormous fright. "No, stop, please! Get them away from me!"_   
_ "I will call them off if and only if you get rid of Angela Jacobs and put me in as an apprentice! Otherwise, these snakes will produce enough venom to kill you in a matter of minutes. It's your choice, Magician."_   
_ Ace concentrated with all his might to make the snakes disappear, but the spitting cobra splashed venom into his eyes while a cottonmouth and a diamondback bit him on each of his legs._   
_ As he screamed in total agony, Darlena just laughed very hard. "I told you, Cooper. When I don't get what I want, I don't get mad; I get even. Now you will suffer a slow and painful death, which is something I love to watch happen to the so-called greatest magician in the world. My time has come to take your place, you has-been! You were the best, but soon that title will belong to me and only me!"_   
As the sun shone into the apartment, she softly said, "I can't wait to watch the death of Ace Cooper."   
Then, Tracer gently shook the futon bed. "Darlena. Darlena, time to wake up. You're gonna get your wish in the next few minutes."   
She suddenly jumped out of bed. "What? You've done it? You've created the powerful virus?"   
"That's right. All I need to do is press one button, and the virus will be on its way into the Magic Express computer system, and as I said before, rebooting the system this time will be absolutely impossible."   
"Then, what are we waiting for? Go ahead, press the button, and send Ace Cooper and his friends to their doom."   
"You got it, Darlena." Tracer then sat down at his computer and put his right index finger over the "Enter" button on the keyboard. "Okay, here we go." He then pressed the button.   
On the screen were the words, "Virus being uploaded now."   
Tracer then added, "It'll take a couple of minutes for the virus to completely take over the control system, but soon it'll be on its way to total destruction."   
"Excellent, my friend. Why don't you tell me what you want as a reward, seeing this will work without any sign of failure?"   
"Well, all I really want is to get out of this city and establish a network of true hackers. I know there are those equal or even better than me. I want to be able to be a part of a group which can hack any system in the world, even increase our bank accounts."   
"If that's what you want, that's exactly what you'll get, especially with a little magic from me." Darlena then made a $100 electro dollar bill appear. "How's this for a start?"   
"It's definitely a good starting point for me. Thanks for being a real friend, Darlena."   
"Same to you, Tracer. You've given me the respect I wanted—no, deserved—for so long. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to be able to see the destruction of the Magic Express and the deaths of Ace Cooper and his friends."   
"There's a series of valleys about 75 miles west of here. Go there and you'll easily get the best view in the world."   
"I'll be there in no time. Oh, is there any vehicle I could use?"   
"A police car is sitting a block away."   
"That'll do. Thanks."   
Darlena ran down the stairs and watched the cop inside his car. Conjuring up an illusion of a robber, she was able to make the cop run out of his car and try to catch the thief.   
She then jumped into the car, started it, and took off.   
When the officer realized the robber was not real, he ran back to discover his vehicle missing.   
Darlena looked in the rear-view mirror and saw the policeman throw his hat on the ground in anger. "He-he-he. Sorry, buddy, but I need this car more than you do. I'm going to witness first-hand the end of the Magician forever!" 

Back at the Magic Express, Angie sat up on her bed as she did her daily meditation in the morning. _"I don't know why I've been worrying myself so much lately. I do have friends who care about me, but somehow a part of me will not believe that. Maybe I can get some help."_   
Deep within her heart, she went back to the past to talk to her parents.   
_"Mom, Dad, I don't understand why some part of me won't accept the friends I have now."_   
_ Mrs. Jacobs took a hold of her daughter's right hand. "When you grew up, you didn't have too many friends. All you could really rely on were either us or your best friend Ashley. The root of the problem is a simple one: You're afraid of having too many friends, now that you are a celebrity."_   
_ "Your mother's right, sweetie," said her father Robert. "With the celebrity status you've attained now, you fear you will lose the true friends you have, gain false friends, and become selfish. Never believe that because you are always true to your heart. You're having a little trouble opening your heart to more true friends because you were so shy and quiet growing up."_   
_ "Maybe you're right, Dad. I'm almost certain that's what I've been afraid of. This gift was the source of my fears as I grew up. I was too afraid to accept anyone as a true friend because I couldn't tell about my magical powers."_   
_ "There's something else you should know," said Nancy, her mother. "You have always done so much for other people, but you almost never think about yourself. I can still remember those popular sneakers you wanted so badly not because of the popularity factor, but more importantly because you really liked the shoes themselves."_   
_ "Oh, yeah," said Angie, "those $80 sneakers I ended up getting for my birthday. People at school picked on me because I wore the shoes, but when I explained why I wanted them, they understood me. Also—"_   
She had to stop her spiritual conversation because she suddenly shook from left to right on her bed. "Hey, what's going on? We're not supposed to leave for another two hours yet."   
_"Sweetie," said Robert, "is something wrong?"_   
_ "I'm not sure, Dad. I think the Express is moving already. I'm sorry I have to end this conversation so soon, but—"_   
_ Nancy interrupted her daughter. "Don't worry about us. We'll always be in your heart. Now, see what's wrong here."_   
_ "Thanks, Mom."_   
Angie jumped off her bed and went to the door to try to open it. "Hmm, that's odd. What's wrong with the door?"   
She then called out, "Angel?"   
When the hologram appeared, the pointed dodecahedron appeared to be all black instead of its normal pinkish-purple tinge. "What do you want?" it asked in a sarcastic tone.   
"I just need you to open the door, that's all. I'd like to see what's happening."   
"Listen, little girl. I don't intend on opening the door for you or anyone else for that matter."   
"Angel, why are you acting like this? Why is the Magic Express moving already? Is anyone at the controls?"   
"You know, for someone who's living here, you sure ask a lot of stupid questions. I don't know why it's moving, I don't know if anyone's running this thing, and basically, **_I don't care._**" The hologram abruptly disappeared.   
Angie then decided to try using her magic to open the door. Concentrating with all her heart, she realized she could not do so as easily as she may have thought. After putting her arms back down, she suddenly became very nervous. "I have a really bad feeling about this." 


	3. The Conclusion!

Love for One, Love for All   
The Conclusion!

Angie's anxiety grew into near total panic. She could not understand why Angel had acted so cold to her and had trouble getting out of her own room. "I've got to calm down," she said to herself. "I can't be frightened like this." She took a couple of deep breaths to lower her increasing heart rate. As soon as it was back to normal, she considered what to do. "I could try the radio, but if something's affected Angel this badly, she could easily block radio contact. However, one thing she _can't_ stop is psychic contact." 

The young magician then closed her eyes and tuned in to Ace's mind. _"Ace, Ace, wake up, quick. I think we're in serious trouble."_

Ace was sleeping soundly on his bed with Zina at the foot base. Then, he heard his younger counterpart's telepathic distress message and awakened in a gasp. _"Angie, what's wrong? You're about ready to panic."_   
_ "Something's wrong here, Ace. Is Cosmo awake yet?"_

_ "No, he's still asleep. Why?"_

_ "Then, who's at the controls of the Express?"_

_ "Wait a minute. You mean we're already moving?"_

_ "Yes, but that's not the worst of it. Angel's acting very peculiar, and her holographic image looks all **black**!"_

_ "Hang on, we'll know in a minute."_

Ace called his computer system. "Angel?"

When the hologram appeared, it said, "Oh, brother. What's the problem, Magician?"

Upon noticing the darkness colored through the points, he knew immediately what had happened. "Oh, my God. A virus, just like before."

In his mind the memory of what Bill Peach had done to the Magic Express had come up. At that time, Ace had trouble getting into his own home because Peach was able to control everything, including his Magic Bike. He nearly got ran over by the train itself, but he managed to get underneath and enter through a special trapdoor Cosmo had built himself. With some magic, a lot of luck, and help from Cosmo, the Express finally came to a stop before it could harm innocent people at a then newly opened amusement park.   
Getting his mind back into the present situation, he looked at Angel and said, "I want you to open the door right now."   
"Forget it, Cooper," it responded insultingly. "I'm not going to help you with anything anymore." Like it did with Angie, the hologram disappeared very quickly.   
Ace then sent a thought to Angie. _"You were right. Something **is** wrong here. A virus has overtaken the Magic Express and the control systems. Maybe I can open my door with magic."_   
_ "If you can do it, I hope you can show me how because I couldn't."_   
Ace put his arms forward in the attempt to open the door by magic. Focusing his mind on the door, he tried with all his might to get it open. Unfortunately, he had no luck, either. _"It didn't work, Angie. I think there's only one alternative left."_   
_ "I agree. It's time for the **Magic Force!**"_   
Although they were in separate rooms, their scream was in perfect unison. **_"Magic Force, reveal the power within!" _**As both went into dizzying spins, they were surrounded in bright light: Ace in violet and Angie in light blue.   
In a matter of seconds, both emerged in their special crimefighting costumes. Ace was in his all dark-grey bodysuit with yellow belt, yellow collar, dark-colored cape, and black boots with yellow trim. Angie's costume was almost exactly the same, except she wore a dark-grey miniskirt and red tights.   
At the same time, Ace pounded the right side of his chest with his left hand while Angie placed her left hand in front of her shirt on her right side. A red half-face with a yellow eye appeared on both costumes, and the two magicians were ready for action.   
_ "Angie, you should be able to use your magic now to open the door. Concentrate your power on the lock and only the lock."_   
_ "Okay, Ace. I'll give it a go."_   
In their separate rooms, the two magicians were able to unlock the doors and get free of their small prisons.   
"Whew," Angie said in relief, "I'm glad that worked." She then ran out of her room to join Ace in the hallway.   
Ace was thankful to see his friend safe. "You okay, Angie?"

"Yeah, I think so. Now what should we do?"

"We've got to wake Cosmo and Mona fast. I'll take care of Cosmo while you alert Mona."

Angie went to Mona's door and knocked on it as hard as she could. "Mona, wake up! Come on, wake up!"

In her room, the singer heard Angie's screaming voice and ran to the door. "Angie, why are you in your suit? Are we in trouble here?"

After she nodded she said, "Mona, stand back. I'm going to use magic to open the door. You won't be able to open it yourself."

Mona did what Angie had told and stepped back from the door.

In mere seconds, the door was open, and Mona was also free.

Then, Angie and Mona joined Ace and the already freed Cosmo in the living room.

"What's goin' on here?" asked a worried Cosmo.

Ace gave a grave answer. "The Express has been taken over by a deadly computer virus. It's making Angel act up and moving the train by itself. Fortunately, we're the only ones involved right now, but we've got to stop this thing, or else we're all dead."

"So, what can we do?" Mona questioned with concern.

"Our only chance is to try to reboot the system, like we did before." He then turned to Angie. "You and I will keep Angel busy and try to reach the controls at the front. Cosmo, you and Mona get into the computer room and see what you can do about the rebooting."

"Sounds good to me, dude. Let's go!"

The two pairs split up and got to work in trying to stop the Express.

As the two magicians tried to make their way toward the front controls, Angel did everything in her power to stop them.

"It's no use, magicians," she said sinisterly. "You're not going to get to the front _alive_!"

Suddenly, from the far end of the wall, arrows were fired toward the pair!

"Angie, duck!" Ace yelled.

The two dropped to the floor quickly as the arrows landed at the other wall.

The younger magician breathed heavily as she said, "That was too close."

"It's not over yet. We still have a couple of other obstacles to get through. Just stay close to me."

"You got it! Let's move!"

In the meantime, Cosmo and Mona were able to hotwire their way into the computer room to get to work on fixing the computer.

"Um, Cosmo, I hate to tell you this, but I'm not as advanced in computer knowledge as you are."

"Don't worry about it, Mona. You just stand by and wait for instructions. I'll tell you what to do when it's time, okay?"

"Sure thing." Her bigger concern was Ace and Angie. _"Please make it up there, guys. If we can't do it here, it'll be all up to both of you."_

The Magician and his younger counterpart had another major barrier to pass before they could make it to the front.

Angel unleashed a gigantic saw blade and had it moving towards them. "You won't get past this."

"I did it before, Angel," Ace stated, "and I'll certainly do it again." He then grabbed Angie's hand. "Hang on to me, and don't let go!"

Angie followed the movements of her mentor, and both missed being sliced by about an inch.

"Way to go, Ace! How did you know what to do?"

"This is **_not_** the first time a virus has taken control of the systems. Now, I think there's just one last obstacle to get through, and we'll reach the brakes."

Meanwhile, Darlena took the stolen police car and stopped it at the point where Tracer said the best view would be. She then got out and looked at the view. "Oh, how perfect! This spot is just the place to watch Ace Cooper die!"

When she looked around, she did not see anything come into view yet. "Hmm, apparently I got here earlier than expected, but that's okay by me. I can't wait to look through these binoculars and see the shocked looks of the Magician and company when they realize there's **_no_** way to stop the Express from crashing."

She then took out a cell phone Tracer had given her to call. "How's everything at your end?"

Back at his apartment he answered, "Everything's working perfectly. That teen hacker partner and another woman are trying to reboot the system while Cooper and that young woman are attempting to reach the controls at the front engine."

"That young woman? You mean Angela Jacobs?"

"Yeah."

"How can that loser help Ace Cooper? She's not as skilled in magic as I am! Well, not to worry. When this is all over, the greatest magician in the world will be **_me_**!" Darlena let out a laugh of pure nastiness, as it looked like her dangerous plan would succeed without a hitch.

Ace and Angie made it to the front engine controls, but a number of cable wires caught Ace and entangled him.

"Angie, lunge for the front to reach the brakes!"

She tried to make her move, but then the wires caught her ankles. In a matter of seconds, Angie was completely unable to move as she lay on the ground. "I'm sorry, Ace. I tried."

"Don't worry about that right now. At least we're okay for a little while."

Angel then appeared in front of the pair. "Sorry, Magician. I'm going to make sure **_no one_** comes out of this except for me." She then gave Ace and Angie a slight electrical shock.

As the two grunted in pain, Angie had a frightening thought go through her mind. _"Oh, no. I just remembered about the Party Carnival. Unless I miss my guess, whoever did this sent us on a **collision course** with the festival. If we don't stop the Express soon, thousands of people will get hurt. I've got to do something to overcome this, but how?"_

In the computer room Cosmo asked Mona to press the button to restart Angel for the rebooting process.

However, as Mona did so, she received an electrical shock and was thrown back three feet.

The apprentice then ran up to her. "Mona, are you okay?"

"I think so. I didn't know Angel could play so rough."

The blackened hologram appeared there suddenly. "You think _this_ is rough, lady? You haven't seen my _full_ capabilities yet. And by the way, don't bother trying to restart the system. There's no way it can be done. **_Ha-ha-ha-ha!_**"

Mona became gravely concerned. "Cosmo, what'll we do now?"

"I don't know. Right now, though, it seems we can't reboot Angel at all. We're going to have to go a bit extreme and do a total system shutdown, but the only way to do that is for Ace and Angie to apply the brakes at the front."

"Great," said the singer sarcastically. "We have to turn off the computer, and we have to stop to do it?"

"That's the way this system was designed. The problem is we can't contact them, like, because she could easily block off the radio communications."

"Then . . . our fate lies in the hands of Ace Cooper and Angela Jacobs. I just hope they can pull this off."

The two magicians struggled desperately to break free of their bonds to reach the brakes.

_ "This is serious,"_ Ace thought to himself. _"This virus is far more powerful than the one Peach used on us. It also looks like Cosmo was unable to reboot Angel. If only I could break out of these wires, but the grip's getting so tight I almost can't breathe."_

Meanwhile, Angie's concern for the people at the Party Carnival was growing rapidly. _"I have to do something, fast! Right now, I'm more afraid for those attending that festival. I can't just give up, I just can't! I must break out of here, or else all those innocent people will get hurt! I will **not** allow innocent lives to be lost this way!"_

Suddenly, she felt a surge of magic within her heart. Allowing her heart to take control, she started glowing in a light-blue aura and freed herself from the wires.

Next, Angie levitated four feet above the floor and closed her eyes to feel her power flowing through her. **_"Let my heart guide my power!"_** she screamed with all her heart.

In a matter of seconds, everything around her started to glow, as she concentrated as hard as she could to try to stop the train.

Knowing right away this would strain her severely, she moved her right hand over to where Ace was tied up and quickly freed him from the cables.

Ace could not believe what had happened when he heard Angie's gentle voice in his mind. _"Ace, I need your help. There's no way I can stop the Express all by myself."_

He ran up to where his younger counterpart was. He next closed his eyes and levitated himself to reach her in the air. Then, he took Angie's hands and felt a surge of power as he began to glow in bright violet. _"Let's do this together."_   
Their hearts and minds bonded as one, they both yelled out, **_"Magic Force, unite our powers!"_**   
As their powers grew stronger between them, Ace became a little curious as to why Angie was going all out in her efforts to stop the Express. He then searched her mind for the truth and discovered the real story when he saw the image of the flyer on the lamppost. _"Oh, my God. We're going to collide with something called the Party Carnival?"_   
_ "Yes. We're less than 100 miles away from it, and tens of thousands of people are there already."_   
_ "At the rate we're going now, we'll be there in about 10 minutes. We must concentrate on keeping Angel from attacking us and putting the brakes on. Fortunately, our united magic will keep Angel's defenses back. Now, we must concentrate on applying the brakes. Focus as much magical energy on the brakes as you can."_   
_ "Okay, let's go for it!"_

The pair concentrated as hard as possible to apply the brakes and stop the Magic Express from hurting many people at the Party Carnival.   
Back in the computer room, Cosmo and Mona were having problems of their own.   
"Aw, man! Whoever made this virus did a real number on the system. We can't reboot it, and we can't shut it down unless we stop."   
Suddenly, the two noticed the area around them starting to glow.   
"What's happenin' here?" Cosmo asked curiously.   
"It must be Ace and Angie. They've combined their magic, but I don't understand why. Aren't we the only ones in danger?"   
"I don't know. Maybe one of them knows something the rest of us don't."   
"Let's just hope they can stop this thing before it's too late."   
For the moment, Ace and Angie were slowly starting to apply the brakes on the bottom of the train itself.   
Angie's anxiety was becoming greater at every passing second. _"Magic Force, please help us stop the Express before those people get hurt. I **must** do my part do save them."_   
Ace then realized something important. _"Angie, I know what you're trying to do, but I sense you're holding back."_   
_ "Holding back? How? What are you talking about?"_   
_ "Listen to me. You have spent your whole life worrying for the safety of others but **never** thinking about yourself. I know other people's lives are very important, but if you think about yourself right now—"_   
_ "Ace, I can't think about myself in this situation."_   
_ "Let me finish. If you can think about yourself and what you want right now, your power will become far stronger than you can imagine. Try to put some love into your own heart. Give it a try."_   
_ "I can't. I'm afraid."_   
_ "Why are you scared to love yourself? Are you fearful you'll become selfish?"_   
_ "Yes. That, and I'm afraid I'll become greedy and irresponsible."_   
_ "That is **not** true, Angie. There's nothing wrong with thinking about yourself ever so often. You can't spend your whole life saying 'I have to' or 'I must.' You need love for yourself, too. I know you've suffered so much in your life, being shy and quiet, being picked on by more popular people, and losing your parents in that terrible accident. However, there is a huge difference between doing something because you **have** to and doing something because you **want** to. Do you **have** to save those people, or do you **want** to save those people? Say you have to and want to, and see how you feel."_   
_ "Okay. I have to save them." _She felt no change. _"Now, I want to save them." _Angie then felt her heart becoming warmer. _"I felt different when I said 'I want to save them.' Why?"_   
_ "That's because you finally understand that loving **yourself** is just as important as loving those around you. You cannot love others unless you love yourself first. Do this because you really want to do it, not because you think you're obligated in any way to do it."_   
_ "Yeah, you're right. I want to do this not only for the people I love and the innocent people I'm concerned for, but also **for myself**! I am the one who makes my magic happen, and I chose to be like this. It's my decision, and I say I want to do something for everyone around me and me myself!"_   
Darlena looked through her binoculars and began to see the Magic Express itself over the horizon. "Oh, how beautiful this is! The Magician's home is now his death trap." However, she started to notice a bright light around the train. "What's that? The glare of the morning sun against the train?" She then got onto the cell phone. "Tracer, why is there a light around the Magic Express?"   
"What're you talking about? The computer system shows no light source anywhere. Everything here's under my control. I—wait a minute. I'm starting to get some sort of interference."   
"Interference!?" she screamed into the phone. "What do you mean by that, you fool? I thought you said there's nothing they could do to stop the train, not even reboot the system. What's going on here?"   
"I don't know, Darlena! I can't understand what's going on!"   
Back inside, Angie's self-love gave the combined efforts of her and Ace a bigger boost in power.   
"That's it, Angie," Ace said aloud. "Add love to yourself, since you're important, too."   
"It all makes sense now," stated Angie with compassion in her soul. "I have to have some time to think about what **_I myself_** want out of life. I can't continue believing I'm obligated to help everyone around me at every turn. I can make a difference, but I have to realize I can't save the entire world myself, just try to help one person at a time, including me once in a while. Now, let's put the brakes on this thing!"   
"You got it, friend. Let's concentrate on the brakes together."   
Both magicians gave everything they had with heart, soul, mind, and spirit.   
Within the span of about two minutes, the brakes were slowly beginning to apply.   
Angie focused her power even harder than she had ever done before, causing her to start feeling an enormous amount of physical strain. _"I'm gonna keep going! I **want** to keep going!"_   
With Ace's help, their magic put on the brakes of the Express, and it finally came to a stop five minutes later.   
In the computer room, Mona and Cosmo accidentally crashed into the wall during the braking process.   
Upon realizing they had stopped, Cosmo checked on Mona. "You okay?"   
"Oh, I think so. Wow, that was quite a stop."   
"Ace and Angie did it! Now we can shut off the system." He then spoke into his wristwatch radio. "Computer shutdown code M-J-C-4-S. Commence."   
The dark hologram appeared to try to stop them. "No! You won't shut me down! You can't . . . stop . . . me . . ." The voice became slow and distorted as the hologram slowly vanished into nothingness. The system shutdown was a success.   
"You did it, Cosmo," said Mona as she hugged the apprentice/hacker. "That's some code you've got."   
"That's nothin', Mona. Sound out the code M-J-C-4-S."   
"Mag—ic—force," she sounded. "I should have known: 'Magic Force'."   
"Right. Now, let's get to the front to see how the two magicians are doing."   
At the front controls, Ace and Angie lowered themselves back to the floor, where she abruptly fainted into his arms.   
Ace noticed his younger counterpart looking completely pale. "Are you all right?" he asked softly as he gently laid her on the floor.   
Slowly opening her eyes, her voice was a whisper. "I'm . . . okay. Just very tired. I guess . . . I still have . . . a long way to go, don't I?"   
"That's okay, Angie. I'm very patient. You'll make it in due time, I promise. I'm proud of you, I know your parents are proud of you, and I hope you're proud of yourself, too."   
"I **_am_** proud of myself, my friend. I finally understand about being able to love the person I am."   
Cosmo and Mona ran into the control room and found Ace and the very tired Angie.   
Mona gasped in worry. "Angie, are you okay?"   
"She's fine," Ace responded. "She channeled so much power through herself it completely strained her out."   
"I don't understand something. Why did you go all out to stop the Express? There wasn't anyone else in danger besides us, was there?"   
"On the contrary, Mona." Ace then went to a nearby compartment and took out a pair of binoculars. "Here, take a look over the horizon and tell me what you see."   
Looking through them, she noticed something. "Hmm, it looks like some kind of festival or something."   
"That's right. It's called the Party Carnival, and we were heading right for it."   
Cosmo had a look of dismay on his face. "You mean, we were gonna collide with the carnival?"   
"Yes. Angie had known about it the entire time. She saw a flyer advertising the carnival back in Lazaro City and realized thousands of others were in just as much or even more danger than we were. That's why she concentrated so hard with all her heart. She finally understood the importance of being able to think about herself once in a while."   
"Will she be okay?"   
"She'll be all right. Using her powers is still a learning process for her. She'll get it mastered when the time comes. Come on, everyone. Let's get to the living room."   
He then picked up the young magician and carried her in his arms with Mona and Cosmo following close behind.   
Zina, who had been sticking it out in the living room after she woke up to find no Cosmo in his room earlier, stepped down from the sofa as Ace put Angie's body on top.   
Angie slowly opened her eyes again and noticed everyone around her. "I'm sorry I got you all worried these last couple of days," she said softly. "I guess a little nagging voice inside me kept wanting to say I could never have any real friends, and I believed it for so long. You were right, Ace. I can't love anyone else unless I love myself."   
"Exactly. You need to have some things for yourself, including love. If you spend your whole life trying to satisfy others without thinking about yourself, you won't have your own purpose in life. You've always been true to yourself and your heart, but you were afraid you would end up like Darlena: egotistical, vain, jealous, and greedy."   
"Listen," interrupted Cosmo. "While Angie gets some rest, Mona, could you help me use the mini-diagnostic computer to see if we can get rid of that virus?"   
"Sure thing," the singer agreed.   
"You two get to that," Ace said. "As for me, I've got a rogue magician to find."   
Angie took hold of her mentor's hand. "Ace, can you do me one favor?"   
"Anything, my friend, anything. What is it?"   
"Stop her for me."   
"I will, Angie. I promise." Then, as he put his right hand in front of her face, he lowered his hand as her eyes started to close. "Now," he whispered, "sleep, young magician. You need the rest."   
Angie fell into a deep and relaxed sleep.   
Mona then whispered, "Ace, will she be all right by herself over here?"   
"Yes. You help Cosmo while I take care of some business of my own." 

Up on the cliff, Darlena became bitterly angry. "I can't believe it!" she shouted. "The Magic Express stopped, but how!? It's absolutely impossible!" She then yelled into the cell phone. **_"Tracer! What happened!?"_**   
"Don't holler into the phone, cream puff! I don't understand why I can't control the Express anymore. They must have shut the system down completely. How did they do it, though? There was no way that hacker could have done it!"   
"You jerk! You failed completely! Don't expect any more help from me!" She then threw the phone to the ground, breaking it instantly. "It's just not possible for them to have stopped the Magic Express!"   
Suddenly, from behind her an angry male voice said, "**_Anything_** is possible with magic, Darlena."   
When she turned around, she gasped in surprise. "Cooper? So, you survived the deadly train trip?"   
"Yes, I did, my dear."   
"But how? How did you stop the Magic Express when rebooting the system didn't work? Nothing could have saved you!"   
"Nothing, except Angie's heart. You didn't count on her magical powers becoming stronger in the time of great danger. For a little while, she was afraid she was interfering with our lives, but after what she did to help stop the Magic Express, I now know she's a part of our family now and forever.   
"As for you, your chances of becoming an apprentice to _any _magician just went up in smoke because of this. How can someone so young be so coldhearted and cruel?"   
"Since you wouldn't take me in, I decided to get even with you. I am far _better_ than Angela Jacobs, yet you choose to keep that old beginning loser, and you call your pathetic bunch a _family_."   
"That's right, Darlena. We think of ourselves as a family of brothers and sisters, not a team of performers." The Magician then changed the subject. "Did you even realize what else you did?"   
"What are you talking about?"   
"Because of your little stunt, you endangered not only everyone inside the Express, but also thousands of innocent people attending the Party Carnival, which is less than five miles away from here. I can't believe you would do something like this just because I wouldn't take you in. Don't you have any regrets or remorse for what you've done?"   
"None, whatsoever. I'll do _anything_ to get what I want, and when I don't get it, I will get even!" She then conjured up the poisonous snakes, like in her dream. "Get him, my pretties!"   
Unlike the dream, though, Ace showed no fear. "This is your idea of pretty?" He then magically changed all the snakes into doves. "Now that's more like it."   
"That's it, Cooper! You're going down!" The rogue magician concentrated hard to create a blast of magic at Ace.   
Ace, though, fought back with his own power. "If you think you can take me down so easily, you're way out of your league, sister!"   
"How dare you say that to me! I'm better than Angela Jacobs, and I'm better than even **_you!_**"   
The Magician noticed how her power was building rapidly. _"Wow, she's a tough one. Her power is built on greed and jealousy. The more agitated she gets, the more powerful she becomes. I'm not going to let her win, though."_   
On the sofa in the living room, Angie was still in a deep sleep when she saw an image forming in her mind, one showing her friend's struggle against Darlena. _"Ace, even though I am physically weakened, I can sense you need help."_   
_ Within her mind, she could see herself standing tall. Placing her hands to her heart, she calmly said, "Magic Force within my heart, I can feel Ace needing assistance in his battle against that misguided magician. I want to do something to help him stop her once and for all."_   
_ As her body glowed in light blue, a ball of light was forming in her heart. The ball of light surfaced as she put her hands outward and downward. With determination in her eyes and love in her heart, she yelled, "Magic Force, by my own free will and choice, **please transfer some of my power to the Magician!**"_   
Ace's battle with Darlena was beginning to put a burden on him, as his mind was beginning to feel the strain.   
"You're finished, Cooper! You're going to lose to me, and I'll be the greatest magician in the world from now on!" She laughed as hard as she could.   
Out of the blue, Ace felt something within himself. _"What . . . ? What is this powerful feeling in my heart?"_   
Angie's inner voice spoke to him gently. _"Kindred brother, please hear me. Although I am physically too weak, my heart is still strong. I have made the choice to give some of my power to you, and I want to help you this time. You are my big brother, and I'm going to do this for you and more importantly for me."_

The Magician closed his eyes and felt warmer than ever before. _"Angie, I can feel your kind and loving heart; your warm and compassionate soul. I proudly accept your gift . . . my kindred sister."_   
He could see his younger counterpart smiling as he began to feel her power coming to him. As his purplish aura started having tints of light blue, he yelled, **_"May Angie's heart help me!" _**The double-colored aura became brighter with every second.   
Darlena could not believe her eyes. "What!? It's not possible! Why are you getting stronger?"   
"That's for me to know," said a determined Ace, "and for you to find out!"

The rogue's powers could not stand up to the Magician's special bond of friendship with Angie. "I **_must_** know! How do you continue letting your power become stronger than ever?" Finally understanding she was no longer a match for him, she tried to run for it.   
Ace said, "Oh, no, you don't, rogue! You're not getting away from me that easily!" He then flung his cape and quickly tied her up.   
Darlena fell to the ground, with only her head and feet visible.   
Just then, a series of police cars showed up at the cliff.   
Ace started wondering if he was going to get into trouble with the law, like he normally would in Electro City, without a good reason.   
A gentleman in a suit came up to the Magician. He had thick, dark brown hair with grey highlights and blue eyes, and looked enough like a chief of police. "Hello, Mr. Cooper. I'm Captain Jimmy Raleigh, Chief of Police in Lazaro City."   
"Umm," Ace said apprehensively. "I hope you don't think I—"   
"No," said Capt. Raleigh with a reassuring smile. He shook Ace's hand and added, "Unlike my Electro City counterpart, Howard Friedrichs, I **_do_** appreciate help anytime, anywhere. I've been in the force long enough to know playing by the book doesn't always work."   
The Magician breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew, I was worried you were just like him."   
"Forget it, Mr. Cooper. I respect any type of help possible, including magic. I don't know why Howard just won't give you the respect you deserve for keeping Electro City safe."   
Then, one of the officers ran up to his patrol car. "Yup, this is it, the stolen patrol car, and there's the little creep who did it."   
Raleigh then looked at the young woman's face. "Ah, Darlena Lowland."   
"You know her?" Ace asked curiously.   
"Oh, yes. Here, look at this list."   
Ace took the sheet of paper and was very surprised at what he discovered. "She had trained under three other magicians but was thrown out for trying to frame them for crimes she had committed?"   
"That's correct, Mr. Cooper. She was using her own magic to carry out robberies and tried to place the blame on the three magicians she had trained under. In fact, she was placed into a special list known as the Universal Magician Alert just two weeks ago."   
"I've heard of that list. It involves would-be apprentices who actually use their training to do things only for themselves instead of trying to entertain people, as that is the main purpose of magic."   
"Mm-hmm. I figured you got that alert by e-mail."   
"Sorry, I was out of town two weeks ago, as I was going to see the Chrysalis's final renovations."   
"That's understandable. Anyway, it's only appropriate for a rogue magician to be taken down by the best in the world."   
"Well," Ace started, "I really couldn't have done it without Angie's help. It was the love in her heart which gave me the strength to fight on and stop Darlena."   
"That reminds me. One of my officers said she took down a pair of seasoned criminals yesterday but accepted no reward for it. The reward for their capture was $25,000, and I really want to give it to her. Where is she?"   
"Resting comfortably on the living room sofa in the Magic Express. Now, I assume you're going to take Darlena into custody, so I'll release the cape with one bonus surprise."   
Using his mental capabilities, the cape floated back onto his back.   
Darlena wanted to move her arms to do something but discovered she was unable. "What the--? I've been cuffed!"   
"Yes," said Ace, "and those are a special pair of handcuffs, specifically designed to prevent magicians from escaping. The only way out—" He then made a small object appear in his left hand. "—is by unlocking them with this one-of-a-kind key." He then gave it to Capt. Raleigh.   
"Thank you very much, Mr. Cooper. Gentlemen, read Miss Lowland her rights and book her downtown."   
As Darlena was being read her rights, she looked angrily at Ace. "Why? Why won't you accept the fact I'm better than Angela Jacobs?"   
"Darlena, you **_did_** prove to be better than Angie. The only problem is, you believe magic is nothing more than skills and practice. The true purpose of magic is to entertain and enlighten, but it takes much more than practice. You have the abilities, yes, but you don't have the heart like Angie does. Her heart is pure and clear, and she cherishes life. She has been blessed with the gift of magic because of her love and her kindness. She cares about others, but now she cares about herself, too.   
"For most of her life, she considered her gift as a curse, and after seeing you, I could understand why."   
Darlena growled at the Magician. "You'll never get away with this, Cooper! I'll get you back, and when I do, you'll be sorry!"   
Capt. Raleigh stepped up and stated, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Your friend, Tracer, was arrested in his apartment."   
"What?" she shrieked. "I thought he said he was untraceable."   
"He was, but one of his old friends is our official police hacker. He decided to use his hacking skills to help us catch him. So, now you're both going to jail, charged with attempted mass murder and illegal tampering of computer systems."   
"Mass murder!?"   
"Yes, since it was within ten miles of the Party Carnival. Take her away."   
Back inside the Magic, Angie finally awakened after a long nap and saw all her friends and a couple of extra visitors. "How long have I been out?"   
"Hmm, about an hour-and-a-half," Cosmo answered happily.   
As Angie slowly sat up straight, she noticed Ace. "You're okay."   
"Thanks to you, Angie. Your transferring of power to me was what made the difference."   
"And Darlena?"   
"On her way to jail with her partner Tracer. He planted the deadly virus into Angel's systems."   
Angie then became a little frantic. "Angel! Is she—"   
The purplish-pink hologram appeared in front of her. "Don't worry, Angie. Cosmo and Mona did a full diagnostic run on me and removed the virus from my system. I'm fine now."   
"If you were real, Angel, I'd hug you."   
"I'm sorry for what happened."   
"It's not your fault, Angel. It was that creep Tracer who did this to you. I don't blame you at all. In a way, we knew the security systems were still working okay."   
Everyone laughed at the joke.   
"Angie," said Mona, "this is Captain Raleigh, Lazaro City's police chief."   
The chief shook hands with her. "Hello, Miss Jacobs. Are you all right?"   
"I'm much better now. That nap Ace hypnotized me into taking actually helped me."   
"That's good, because I have a surprise for you." He then took out a small piece of paper. "Knowing you're a little weak still, and probably not in the mood for a public ceremony, I'll just make the presentation here. Angela Jacobs, on two occasions, you have demonstrated courage far above and beyond the call of duty in protecting the citizens of Lazaro City and the tourists and visitors to our annual Party Carnival. Now, do you remember this officer standing with me?"   
"Yes, I do. He took those two criminals downtown yesterday."   
"That's right. I didn't tell you this part. There was a $25,000 reward for their arrest."   
"Really?" Angie asked.   
Raleigh answered, "That's right. This small piece of paper is a check for $25,000. Please accept this with our gratitude."   
Angie looked at the check. "Thank you, sir."   
"That's not the end of it, however. Because of the courageous actions of both you and Ace Cooper to save the people at the carnival, Mayor Sandra Wilkins hereby names you both honorary members of the Lazaro City Police Department. Please accept these two special badges in your honor."   
Both Ace and Angie took their awards.   
"Thank you, Captain," said the Magician happily. "I'm flattered to accept this award."   
"Me, too," Angie added. "I'm just glad all those people are safe to enjoy their time at the Party Carnival."   
Capt. Raleigh and the police officer then left the Magic Express to file their report with the mayor.   
Just then, Sensa-News reporter Kendra Rayler knocked on the door.   
"Miss Rayler," said Ace happily. "I guess you'd like to know what happened."   
"Yes, I do, but if Angie's not up to it, I'll understand."   
Angie then came to the door. "No, I'm up to it now. I've had a good nap to recover."   
"Great." Kendra conducted her interview fairly quickly, only wanting the facts about what had happened.   
Angie and Ace gave their answers simply and succinctly, and Kendra got her story in just a few minutes.   
"The people attending the Party Carnival are safe today thanks to the brave efforts of Ace Cooper and Angela Jacobs. For Sensa-News, this is Kendra Rayler." After the camera went off, she looked at the two and said, "Paparazzo's never been easy on you, has he?"   
"For all the times we've known him," Ace started to answer, "he'll never be easy on us."   
"Well, as long as he's stuck doing restaurant scores for the health department for the next two weeks, I think you both have nothing to worry about for a little while. I'd better go, so I can file my report at the TV station. Thank you both."   
"You're welcome, Miss Rayler," Ace and Angie said together.   
The two went back to the living room to join Mona, Cosmo, Angel, and Zina.   
Angie then looked at the check. "Hmm, I think I know what I'm going to do with this check."   
"What?" asked Cosmo.   
"I'm going to take $5,000 for myself and donate the rest to charity."   
"Wait a minute, Angie," Ace stated cautiously. "Are you sure that's what you really want to do?"   
"Yeah, I'm positive. I really want to do this. It's time I accepted loving myself and make it equal to loving those I call my 'family'. I also have to remember that being a little selfish **_isn't_** bad. I was so afraid of accepting anything for myself I lost touch with my own reality."   
Everyone gave her a hug.   
Mona, with a small tear coming from her left eye, happily said, "That's good, because when we get back to Electro City, you and I are going on a shopping spree, and you will buy whatever you want, okay?"   
"Sure," said Angie, "but why wait until we go back to Electro City? We're close to the Party Carnival, so why don't we stop there?"   
Ace agreed. "That's a great idea, Angie. We could pick up some souvenirs from the festival on the way back."   
"Okay, we'll stop there," declared Mona, "but that shopping spree's still on, okay, Angie?"   
"It's a deal."   
The Magician then asked, "Angel, are your systems well enough?"   
"Yes, they are, Ace."   
"In that case, Party Carnival, here we come!"   
Twenty minutes later, the Magician and his friends (except Zina, who had to stay in the train) dispersed and started buying some great mementos from their trip to the festival.   
Angie, in particular, found a dream catcher and a pretty beanie butterfly and bought them for herself. The dream catcher would help her grab hold of more pleasant dreams in her sleep. As for the butterfly, it was a special symbol for her, for she knew in the time she had spent with **Ace Cooper, the Magician,** she truly had bloomed from a shy, quiet caterpillar into the wonderful butterfly filled with love, kindness, compassion, warmth, and magic in her heart. 

THE END


End file.
